Baker, 23, signed by the Denver Broncos in 2009, recently became a Dolphin.

Baker addressed campers in the Rubin Arena of the Greene Complex for Sports and Recreation, sharing his personal journey from youth player to professional.

Surprisingly, Baker’s first love is basketball, having hopes in his youth of being a 6-foot power forward. It wasn’t until his junior year in high school he began playing football, which eventually led to him receiving a college scholarship. He played at Penn State and Hampton University.

Coach Terry Primm and Chris Baker

Baker – now 6-2 and 329 pounds -- spoke of the regimen of an NFL player, saying it is an “all day job” consisting of practices, meetings and workouts. He stressed the need qualities of discipline and dedication.

Baker fielded questions from campers, such as: who is his favorite NBA player?

“Now that Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) is out of the game, I’d have to say Kobe Bryant,” he said – drawing a mixed reaction from the crowd.
Baker left campers with some advice. “Make the right choices,” he said. “Keep God first. With hard work, you’ll get great results, there’s no telling what you can do.”

This fit right in with the PBA philosophy, as men’s basketball coach Terry Primm said he and his staff not only hope to teach and strengthen the performance of each player in the game of basketball, but also to share a message of faith.